California Bound
by SunsetsandSunrise
Summary: Emily gets accepted into Stanford alongside Paige, giving them the opportunity to go on a roadtrip across the country to California. "You, me, donuts and diners." What does each state have in store for them? *Slight AU* Paily. Fluff.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**__ The lack of Paily fluff in my other stories is bumming me out, and I have writers block on them. So here's a little something I thought of in the shower (this is where I get all the good ideas, unfortunately I almost always forget them because I have nowhere to write them down on the spot. Because water.) Anyways, the __**slight AU **__is that Emily never injured her shoulder, she got accepted to Stanford, and she didn't let Alison totally play with her mind. This is set after graduation. Enjoy, hopefully.  
_

* * *

_July_ _7, 9:05 pm._

_Rosewood, PA_

"Pull over."

Paige glances at Emily in confusion as she unbuckles her seat belt, "What, why?" She hesitantly pulls onto the side of the road, her eyes darting around the dark woods. "In case you don't remember, good things never happen to us in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere."

"This will only take a second." Emily glances at her in amusement, "and I would hardly call 9 pm the middle of the night."

She sighs; unbuckling her own seat belt as Emily frantically searches the glove compartment. The cars' headlights illuminate the rundown "Welcome to Rosewood" sign.

_Welcome to Rosewood_, she scoffs, _more like Welcome to Hell._

Emily holds up her digital camera in triumph, "Got it." She opens her door, shivering slightly.

"Is this really necessary Em?" Paige hurriedly climbs out of the car, joining her girlfriend as she turns the silver rectangle in her hand on.

"I just want to capture this moment, the start of our new beginning."

"We could just get a postcard you know."

Emily rolls her eyes, setting the camera down on the hood of her car, the self-timer set to two minutes. "But it wouldn't be the same without your beautiful face on it."

"There's always photoshop." Paige says hopefully, sighing in defeat when Emily chuckles and grabs her arm, pulling her towards the wooden sign.

She stands next to Emily, her arm around her shoulder as she plasters a fake smile on her lips for the camera. "When is that thing going to go off?" She mutters under her breath, impatient to get the shot over with. As much as she loves the fact that Emily is just as excited about their trip as she is, being out in the dark, especially in Rosewood, still made her nervous. It'd be pointless trying to hide that from Emily, she could read her better than anyone else.

Warm hands grip her cheeks as Emily turns her to face her, "Is this really that bad?"

Her shoulders relax as Emily rubs her thumbs slowly over her cheeks, momentarily shoving her fear away as she gazes into Emily's concerned eyes. It really wasn't that bad, not as long as she had Emily with her. She'd go through anything as long as it meant having Emily at her side. "No, it really isn't." She smiles as she leans forward to peck Emily's lips lightly, the flash of the camera going off as they press their foreheads together. Paige glances anxiously behind Emily as they pull apart. "But next time could you maybe pick a more romantic place to 'capture moments'?"

Emily laughs quietly, kissing her once more before leading her back to the car, "I'll keep that in mind."

Paige chuckles as Emily grabs the camera and smiles warmly at her as she opens the passenger door, holding it open as Emily climbs in. She hurries to the other side of Emily's car, climbing in and shutting the door.

"You'll be glad to know it came out perfect." Emily shows the picture to her. They're standing in front of the sign, smiling as they stare into each other's eyes. Emily's hands are pressed to Paige's cheeks as she holds her close, her arms wrapped around Emily's waist.

"It did." She leans over to kiss Emily's cheek, settling back against the seat and putting her seat belt on, "Which is good because I am _so _not going back out there." She starts the car to make her point, glancing at Emily who's still looking at the picture. "Em, you okay?"

Emily shakes her head as she turns the camera off and puts it away. "I still can't believe this is happening." She meets Paige's eyes, "this is really happening, right? I'm not going to wake up and realize that this was all a dream?"

"Do you want me to pinch you?" Paige teases.

Emily gives her a small smile, her eyes watering.

She takes Emily's hands in hers, giving her a real answer. "This is real Emily. This isn't a dream. This is really us, leaving Rosewood, going away and starting our own lives away from this place. No more A." She rubs her thumbs soothingly over Emily's knuckles. "No more worrying all the time or being afraid of the dark. It's just us. Just us, the road and the countless Britney Spear songs you plan on torturing me with."

Emily laughs, a tear running down her cheek as she stares at the brown eyed girl gazing back at her with so much love it makes her pulse race. "Beyonce." She corrects, smiling as Paige softly brushes away her tears.

"No I saw your iPod." Her eyebrows furrow in mock despair, "You're planning on torturing me with Britney Spears, Beyonce, Rihanna, Demi-"

"Hey you love Demi!" Emily retorts.

"Yeah but that's beside the point." She smirks, pressing her lips against Emily's pouty ones. "The point is that you'll have total control over the music and I'm going to allow that because I love you." She actually didn't mind any of Emily's music, and if she was being complete honest with herself she'd admit that she knew every single word of every song. Of course she would never admit it out loud, which was probably why Emily was doing it. She knew Paige liked the songs, and she would get her to admit it one way or the other.

Emily taps Paige's nose lightly with her fingertip, both of them wearing identical smiles. "In that case I might go easy on you."

"_Might." _Paige's smile falters in faux-disappointment. "Darn I thought that would work," She mutters under her breath causing Emily to roll her eyes. She puts the car in drive, "Are you ready?"

"More than ready."

They smile at each other, both eager to leave Rosewood and their pasts behind. They know they can't escape forever; they still have their friends and family to think about and eventually visit. And no matter how far away they go, Rosewood will always be there; the scars imbedded into their hearts and minds. Everything they've been through and everything they've survived will always be there to remind them of how far they've come.

Paige pulls the car back onto the road, taking Emily's hand in hers.

"I love you Paige."

She glances at Emily as she smiles, letting her gaze linger longer than is deemed safe as she drives past oncoming traffic. "I love you too." Her eyes flit back to the road, missing Emily's mischievous smirk.

"Now about that torture."

Paige groans as Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" fills the car.

* * *

_June 31, 12 pm_

_Rosewood, PA_

"_You're not really leaving me with these two are you?!" Hanna exclaims._

"_I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Aria mutters._

"_No offense, but I sooo don't want to spend the summer with you and Spencer." She huffs as she plops down on Emily's bed._

_Emily watches in amusement as her friends bicker, trying her best to stay out of it as she continues packing her bags. Paige and her were leaving in less than a week, giving them both enough time to get their things ready._

"_I find that offensive." Aria retorts with a roll of her eyes._

"_I'm sorry. But I don't want to spend my afternoons watching Pride &amp; Prejudice with you and Ezra."_

_Spencer snorts as Aria frowns. "Okay we do not spend our afternoons watching Pride &amp; Prejudice…we watch movies at night."_

"_Like that's any better." Hanna grumbles. _

"_Wait why don't you want to spend it with me?" Spencer questions._

"_Because you'll probably spend it with your tongue down Toby's throat!" _

_Emily laughs as Spencer rolls her eyes, "Okay first of all that's not possible. My tongue is not that long. Second-"_

"_Hey." _

_They all turn as Paige hesitantly walks into Emily's room, waving at them. "Your mom let me in…I'm not interrupting am I?" _

"_Not at all." Emily walks over to her, kissing her lips softly, "You actually just saved us from a Hastings speech." _

"_Okay I find _that_ offensive." Spencer huffs, clearly annoyed at being double teamed._

"_Anyways you won't be alone Han." Emily points out, handing Paige a small black box. "You're spending the summer with Caleb in New York aren't you?"_

_Spencer narrows her eyes as she watches the exchange, Hanna and Aria too distracted to notice._

"_Well yeah but he's not coming back from California until August. What am I suppose to do until then?"_

_Emily opens her mouth to reply, she feels bad for Hanna, she really does. But staying behind in Rosewood isn't something she wants to do. She's waited four years for this moment. For freedom. _

_As for the rest of the girls; Spencer was leaving for Spain in two weeks, in the meantime, like Hanna had pointed out, she'd probably spend every possible minute with Toby. Aria was staying behind with Ezra, but of course Hanna would feel like the third wheel. That left her about a month until Caleb came back, a month she'd have to spend either alone or with Aria. Or with Alison. _

"_What's that?" She looks as Spencer points at Paige's hands._

"_It's a tracker." Paige twirls the small box between her fingers._

"_It's not a tracker, exactly." Emily rolls her eyes at Paige's smirk. "It's a diagnostic system_ _device. You plug it into the car and it monitors the mileage usage and-"_

"_And it shows our location on an app… that both Mr. Fields and my dad have on their phones." Paige smirks again, "So in other words, it's a tracker." _

_Spencer nods in understanding, "So that's what finally convinced them to let you two go on this roadtrip."_

"_Pretty much." _

_Paige had shown the device to their dads a few days ago. After days of failing to convince them to let them go, Paige had pulled an all-nighter googling ways to get them to agree. She stumbled upon the device just as she was about to give up. After an intense talk with their parents a day later, explaining in very precise detail how the device worked, they had finally agreed, trusting Paige and Emily to be responsible on the road. And of course making them promise to never remove the device._

"_I'm gonna go install it in your car." She nods as Paige grabs her car keys, watching her girlfriend until she disappears down the hall._

"_So it's really happening huh?" Spencer questions, her eyes fixed on Emily's smile, which hasn't left her lips since Paige arrived, "You and Paige on your way to Stanford."_

"_Ready to take over the Cardinals swim team." Aria adds._

_Emily's sure her happiness is evident in her face. She wants this. She wants to spend the next four years swimming for Stanford, Paige by her side, both in and out of the water._

"_Yeah, it really is happening." _

* * *

_Hope you guys like it, should I continue, yay or nay?  
if yay, let's join Paily on a roadtrip yeah?  
_

_Tell me what you think :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**__ Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews, they mean a lot to me. Hopefully this story is as good as you hope. Here's a little rest-stop/flashback before we head into the actual roadtrip (I'll explain why at the end). Enjoy :) _

* * *

_July 8, 1:20 am_

_Renaissance Pittsburg Hotel_

_Pittsburgh, PA_

She wraps her arms around Emily's waist; a small smile tugs on her lips when Emily leans back into her. Her chin rests on Emily's shoulder, her palms flat against her stomach. She can feel the slow rise and fall of Emily's abdomen as she sighs deeply, her reflection on the window in front of them smiles as Paige place a small kiss to her exposed neck.

Emily hums in content as Paige continues to kiss along her neck, smirking as Emily shivers when she nibbles on her ear lobe.

"I thought you said you were tired." Emily teases, her fingers sliding easily between Paige's. A perfect fit.

Her arms tighten around Emily, pulling her closer against her as she smirks, "I _was_ tired. But then you had to go and put this on." She tugs on the silky material of Emily's night gown, letting her fingertips graze her exposed skin. "If you're gonna wear stuff like this to bed I don't think we'll be getting much sleep."

She smiles when Emily laughs; it's definitely her favorite sound, along with her voice. She loves everything about Emily actually. Her _eyes_, they were like melted chocolate orbs that she would gladly stare into for eternity.

"This is…wow."

Paige watches Emily's reflection as she stares at the city below them, her eyes taking in every detail in the stunning city around her; from the shimmering river and the bridge that crosses it, to the dimly lit streets buzzing with quite activity despite the late hour. It's almost as if she doesn't want to miss a single thing.

They're in the fourteenth floor of the historic Renaissance hotel. When they had entered the lobby she had seen the way Emily stared at the hotel in awe. She would have admired the hotel herself if she hadn't been too busy watching her.

She loved the way Emily's eyes seemed to sparkle with child like wonder as she took in every detail of the lobby. The marble walls and glass dome ceiling seemed to blow her away. She had stopped in the middle of the lobby as she looked around her in amazement, causing Paige to crash into her. The hotel was a mix of classic and modern, with its classic architecture, sleek furniture and art. She had sat one of the couches, her eyes flitting from one small detail to another while Paige had gone to check them in.

"Yeah, it is wow." She looks around as the city lights reflect on the river that hugs Pittsburg, one of the three rivers that is. "You see that bridge?" She points to the yellow bridge that runs across the water. Emily nods, grabbing Paige's hand and pulling it back against her stomach. "It's the Roberto Clemente Bridge, the river that runs underneath it is the Allegheny River."

Emily bits her lip, holding back a smile as she runs her fingers over Paige's hand. "The Roberto Clemente Bridge?" She can feel Paige's head move up and down against her shoulder as she nods. "Why's it called that?"

She smirks when Paige stays quite for a couple seconds. "It's named after the guy that built it…probably."

Emily laughs, "Probably huh?"

"Yes probably." She closes her eyes as Paige playfully bites down on her neck. "I didn't google that."

Emily laughs at Paige's reluctant admittance. She had caught Paige in her room before they left googling random facts about each state they would travel through.

She turns around in Paige's grasp, her fingertips tracing the necklace around Paige's neck. The gold shark and crystal globe that rests between her collar bones shines against the rooms light. The instant Emily saw it she knew she had to get it for Paige. She meets her eyes and smiles, "You're such a dork."

Paige dips her head as she chuckles, causing Emily to smile wider. Her heart still races every time she realizes she gets to spend more than a month with Paige. Just the two of them. No distractions. No worries. Just the two of them, alone.

"Come on, let's get some sleep." She lets go of the small shark and takes Paige's hand as she leads her towards the king size bed.

Paige quirks her eyebrow, eyeing Emily's outfit suggestively, "Sleep you say?"

She laughs loudly as Paige tackles her playfully onto the bed.

* * *

_May 15, 7 pm_

_Rosewood, PA_

"_Surprise!"_

_Paige looks around her in confusion, startled by the numerous amounts of people scattered around her backyard. Dim lights are strung from the trees and balloons strapped to various objects float aimlessly with the warm wind. A "Happy Birthday!" banner hangs between two trees, underneath it a large table is overflowing with food. A lot of different decorations hang all over her backyard actually. A lot of them._

_This was definitely not her parents' idea. They usually settled for dinner at a fancy restaurant and an expensive gift that usually had to do with swimming or was for "her future."_

_She waves awkwardly at the crowd of people smiling at her, which she soon realizes is practically everyone from school. A shy smile forms on her lips as they begin to talk amongst each other, her eyes searching for the master mind behind this whole thing. _

_She jumps, startled as warm hands wrap around her waist._

"_Happy birthday Paige." Emily whispers softly in her ear, making her shiver involuntarily. _

"_So _this_ is why you were so jumpy all week." She turns around to face her girlfriend, snaking her arms around Emily's waist as Emily's arms rest on her shoulders. "I thought it was something else. I was beginning to worry."_

"_You worry too much."Emily tease, kissing her lips lightly. _

_She gives Emily a pointed look, "Well I have reason to."_

_Emily sighs, brushing loose strands of hair behind Paige's ear, "Let's not worry about that tonight, okay?" She looks around her as people laugh and dance, "Tonight's your night. So just worry about having fun."_

"_I don't even know half these people." She frowns as a short redheaded boy jumps into the pool. Fully clothed. Dirty shoes included. She was definitely going to have to clean the pool later._

"_I know. I'm sorry. When I told Hanna about this she decided to go all out. I was just planning on inviting the swim team and your friends but," She shrugs helplessly, "you know Hanna."_

"_Speak of the devil." Paige mock-glares at Hanna as she approaches them, the blonde simply laughing in response. She reluctantly lets go of Emily as Hanna engulfs her in a hug. _

"_Happy birthday Paigey-waigey." _

_Emily laughs and shrugs as Paige looks at her in confusion and mouths "Paigey-waigey?"_

"_Thanks Hanna." She smirks as she pulls away from her, seeking refuge from Hanna's death grip by hurrying to Emily's side. "I appreciate all this…but you're helping me clean the pool." She points as a group of what appear to be freshmen decide to have a food fight across the pool, most of the food falling into the previously clean water._

"_What?! I didn't even invite _them."

_She smirks as Hanna storms off, yelling at the kids to leave immediately. _

_Emily shakes her head with a smile as she takes Paige's hand, pulling her away before Hanna returns. She leads her towards the house and up to Paige's room. The pounding music is muffled as she closes the door, Paige's lips meeting hers hungrily the instant she turns around. _

_They stumble back into Paige's soft bed, their lips breaking apart as they laugh softly._

"_I've been waiting to do that all day," Paige admits, running her hand slowly over Emily's back._

"_Guess I better stop keeping you waiting then. It is your birthday after all." She grins as Paige's eyes flick to her lips. "Although I should probably give you your present first." _

"_Being with you on my birthday is the best present ever. Trust me." She leans her head towards Emily, expecting their lips to meet. She groans in frustration when Emily pulls back with a smirk on her lips. She was definitely enjoying this too much. "Em."_

_Emily shakes her head slightly as she pulls a small black box from the pocket of her leather jacket, "Patience." She hands Paige the slim box._

"_You're not proposing to me are you?" Paige asks teasingly._

_Emily laughs as she presses her lips against Paige's to hide her burning cheeks, "Just open it."_

_Paige opens the small box carefully, her jaw dropping slightly as she gingerly picks up the small gold shark, its body wrapped around a crystal globe. She runs her fingers slowly over it. "Em, it's beautiful," She whispers. The little shark was wrapped around a blue and green crystal sphere, its tail holding the globe as its jaws opened around it, almost as if it were biting the miniature planet. _

_Emily smiles as she takes the necklace from her hands, motioning for her to turn around. She clasps the ends together, brushing Paige's hair back as she turns to face her again. "Perfect."_

_Paige pulls her into a kiss. Her heart begins beating rapidly as she deepens it, her tongue tracing along Paige's soft lips, silently demanding entrance. Paige parts her lips-_

"_You lovebirds better get your asses back out here before I knock down this door." Hanna pounds on the door as she shouts to be heard over the music from outside. _

_Paige groans as she falls back onto the bed, muttering a quite "Damn you Hanna" before shouting back. "We'll be out in a minute." She swears Hanna purposely ruined moments like these on purpose. _

"_I swear if you two are doing it in there."_

_Emily rolls her eyes, "We'll be right there Hanna!"_

"_And we weren't doing it!" Paige retorts. _

"_Yeah whatever. I've seen Orange is the New Black."Hanna scoffs._

_Paige frowns in confusion, what the hell did that have to do with them? Hanna had definitely been eating too much sugar. _

"_Have you ever made Emily cum 7 times?"_

_Yup, too much sugar._

"_HANNA!" Emily yells in disbelief. She couldn't believe the things that came out of her friend's mouth sometimes. Well…most of the time._

"_Fine I'm leaving. But you better hurry before I decide to eat the cake myself."_

_Emily smacks Paige's shoulders as she laughs, "It's not funny." She bites her lip, trying to hold back a smile._

"_It's pretty funny." Paige smirks as she stands, pulling Emily up._

_They smile before leaning towards each other, their lips meeting once more. Emily pulls back reluctantly after what feels like seconds, grumbling as she tugs Paige towards the door, "We better get back before blonde Hulk comes back."_

_Paige snorts, reaching up to hold the shark pendant between her fingers with her free hand. She dips her head with laugh when Emily turns back to smile at her. This was definitely the best birthday she's ever had._

* * *

_So? What do you guys think? Let me know. _

_Also, quick Q's: Thanks to a certain someone that shall remain anonymous {you know who you are ;) }, I had to re-plan the route I had originally planned for Paily to take, which isn't a bad thing. but I just wanted to know what route you guys think Paily should take. Should they go through the northern states or southern states? Let me know.  
_

_Another quick Q's: Do you see Paige and/or Emily getting a tattoo? If so, what and where?_

_Hope you guys like it and please let me know what you think. :)_

_Quick thanks to _whoopsidaisies for that lovely review on "A is For DeAth", definitely made my day :)


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N:_**_Wow, hey, it's been a while. So I wanted to update this before tomorrows episode(this was suppose to be posted two weeks ago, whoops) but anyways, sorry for the late update. Enjoy, hopefully._

* * *

_July 8, 9:10 am  
Renaissance Pittsburg Hotel  
Pittsburgh, PA_

Paige glances at the clock in annoyance, the minutes moving far too quickly for her liking. It seems like only 5 minutes ago she had woken up to get ready, quietly moving around the hotel room as to not disturb her sleeping girlfriend. She flinches as she drops the brush she'd been using to untangle her hair, the plastic hitting the wooden floor with a loud thud. She peeks around the door of the bathroom, glancing at the bed where Emily shifts but remains sleeping. Her girlfriend had barely stirred when she had silently got out of bed to shower, too tired from the night before to be roused by any movement.

She smiles as picks up the brush and continuous to untangle her hair, warmth spreads through her at the memory of the night before, or technically speaking, earlier that morning. The way Emily's lips hungrily moved across her skin, making Paige squirm underneath her. She finishes brushing her hair and glances at the clock on her phone again. 9:22. she sighs. She's waited as long as she can before she has to wake Emily. She smiles as she makes her way towards the bed, the sheets wrapped around Emily rising steadily with her breathing.

"Em. Em wake up we need to hit the road." Paige's voice is quiet as she leans close to Emily, reluctant to wake the sleeping girl. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps, her features soft and relaxed. But as soon as Paige shakes her shoulder lightly, Emily groans, her features twisting in annoyance. "Em, come on." She smiles, chuckling as Emily reaches blindly for the pillow next to her and clumsily attempts to hit her with it. "Em, alright alright!" She laughs, taking the pillow from Emily's grasp.

She sits on the edge of the bed, setting the pillow on her lap and smiling when Emily rolls onto her back and cracks an eye open. She gently smoothes her fingers through Emily's soft hair, tucking the few strands that are splayed across her face behind her ear. "Come on sleepy head."

"Why..." Emily mutters, glaring at her through sleep laden eyes, "Why must you be a morning person."

She leans forward and places a soft kiss to Emily's pouty lips, "One of us has to be. Otherwise we'd sleep in all day." She smirks.

"Mmmm" Emily hums in content, scooting close until her head's resting on the pillow on Paige's lap, "that sounds like a good idea." She chuckles, her palm shapes itself over Emily's jaw, her thumb tenderly smoothing over her cheek. Emily hums again at the contact and closes her eyes; her face pressing against Paige's toned stomach. She frowns when her lips meet the soft fabric of Paige's shirt instead of her warm skin. "Why're you dressed?" She whines, her hand tugging on the offending material covering Paige. "It's too early."

Paige's chuckle is cut short by a gasp when Emily slides her hand under her shirt, her skin tingling with the smallest of touches Emily makes. She regretfully grabs her hand and stops her, gently pulling her hand back. "Em…we have to hit the road and you still have to get ready." She warns, her lust filled voice betraying her.

Emily grins up at her; any trace of sleep left in her gone as she pulls her hand from Paige's grasp and grips the hem of her shirt tightly. "The road will still be there in 30 minutes." She coaxes, sitting up and kneeling next to the conflicted brunette. The sheets are still tangled around her, the thin material covering her bare torso. She bites her lip as she stares into Paige's darkening eyes. "Or in an hour."

Paige doesn't even have time to smirk before Emily's lips press against hers, gentle at first but quickly deepening. She responds back eagerly, her hands ghosting over Emily's covered body before gripping the sheets and pulling. She groans in frustration when the tangled sheets remain in place.  
Emily giggles through heavy breathing, "What happened to hitting the road?"

Paige rolls her eyes as she pushes Emily onto her back, her body pressed against the amused yet triumph raven beauty. She straddles Emily's waist, impatiently removing her shirt and tossing it aside.

"It'll still be there in an hour." She purrs as she lifts the sheets off a breathless Emily, revealing the ocean of tan curves that is her girlfriend. "or two." She smirks cockily; pressing her lips urgently against Emily's once more, the road soon forgotten as they lose themselves in each other.

* * *

_July 8, 11:00 am  
I-76 Freeway  
Enroute to Lakewood, OH_

"Stop it." Paige warns, glancing quickly at an amused Emily. She returns her gaze to the busy freeway, the sunny afternoon dimmed to a darker shade thanks to the aviators propped on the bridge of her nose. She bites her lip in an attempt to stop the smile that's threatening to overtake her lips when Emily laughs softly.

"Stop what?" Emily asks innocently, her gaze burning into the side of Paige's face.

She scoffs, her eyes narrowing in faux-annoyance, "Stop staring at me. It's really distracting." Emily laughs again, and this time she can't help the grin that pulls at her lips.

"Well can you blame me? Those aviators look good on you."

She dips her head self-consciously, her cheeks burning as a blush creeps across her face. Her head snaps back up quickly as she remembers she's driving through a busy, if not slow, freeway. Sudden movement catches her attention, but she resists the urge to glance over at the passenger seat, intent on focusing on the traffic ahead. From her peripheral she can see Emily leaning forward, her body turned towards her. "Em…what are you-" The shuttering of Emily's camera is enough of an answer, "Okay I'm taking them off." She reaches with her right hand to pull the glasses off but Emily grabs her hand before she can reach them.

"No, don't!" Emily chides. "You look hot with them on." She slips her fingers between Paige's, squeezing them gently before letting their hands rest on her thigh.

"Emily Fields," Paige says, her voice taking on a serious tone. "Is that the reason you're dating me?" She sighs, shaking her head, "And all this time I thought it was my charming personality." Emily rolls her eyes, letting go of Paige's warm hand to swat her playfully on the arm, causing Paige to laugh.

"Actually, the reason I'm dating you is because of your incredible singing." Emily teases, grabbing Paige's hand and setting their clasped hands on her thigh once again. She loves the way Paige distractedly runs her thumb over her knuckles. "Just melts my heart, that voice of yours."

"Well I am an amazing singer." Paige brags teasingly, her lips twitching into a cocky grin. "I knew you couldn't resist it."

Emily laughs and leans, with some difficulty due to her seatbelt, across the seats, taking advantage of the unmoving traffic to place a kiss on Paige's smiling lips, "That's not the only thing I couldn't resist." She breaths out against Paige's parted lips. She bites her lip, glad that she can't see Paige's eyes behind the dark Aviators.

A car honks behind them, making them both jump in surprise. Emily settles back into her seat as Paige moves the car forward, her cheeks burning as she glances at the car next to them where a young girl gapes at them, then slowly disappears when they move ahead.

Paige chuckles, her thumb running over Emily's knuckles, the other holding loosely to the steering wheel. "I knew it."

Emily frowns at her, "Knew what?"

"You can't resist the McCullers charm." She tilts her head down, meeting Emily's eyes over the edge of the Aviators and winks.

Emily snorts and rolls her eyes, "Just keep your eyes on the road McCullers." She shakes her head at the goofy grin that Paige gives her, returning it with one of her own.

* * *

_December 1st, 10 am_  
_Fields House_  
_Rosewood, PA_

_Paige's eyes widen as she takes in the crowded space that is the Fields yard. She glances around in shock and, despite it being only a small amount, fear. Okay maybe not fear but something close to it. The piles of boxes strewn with anything Christmas related makes her take a deep breath. Not just two or four boxes. But 10, maybe more. No wonder Emily had asked her to help._

_She states as much when she sees Emily walking down the porch steps, an apologetic smile on her lips. She's wearing a simple white long sleeved shirt with a black t-shirt over it, the words This Girl Loves Christmas scrawled across it in big white letters, and faded blue jeans. "So this is why you asked me to help." She accuses in a teasing tone, welcoming Emily into a warm embrace as the taller girl leans into her._

_"That's not the only reason." Emily says, her arms wrapping around Paige's shoulders._

_Paige smiles, her gaze dropping to Emily's lips and back up to her eyes. "Oh yeah? What's the other reason?"_

_Emily bites her lip as she grabs the ends of Paige's scarf and pulls the smiling brunette towards her. She sighs when her lips meet Paige's soft warm ones. She's not sure how long they stand there, eyes closed and lips no longer cold but warm and gently melting together, but they get lost in each other. Christmas decorations and snow covered streets forgotten._

_Their eyes snap open when someone clears their throat behind them. Paige steps away from Emily, her already flushed cheeks burning with embarrassment as she meets Pam Fields eyes. As for Emily, maybe it's the taste of Paige's chapstick lingering on her lips, or the warmth that's still burning inside of her, but she's not as self-conscious as she'd normally be. She smiles shyly, grabbing Paige's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze._

_Mrs. Fields looks mildly amused by Paige's obviously red face; if it weren't for the hot chocolate mugs she held in both hands she would hug the bashful teenager. "Hello Paige, I'm glad Emily managed to coax you into helping. We could use all the help we can get."_

_"It's my pleasure Mrs. Fields. No coaxing was needed."_

_"Please Paige, how many times do I have to remind you to call me Pam?"_

_Paige chuckles nervously and dips her head, causing Emily to smile fondly and Pam to laugh quietly._

_"Well I brought you girls some hot chocolate, to keep you warm. There's also coconut cupcakes inside for when you're done. Emily told me they were your favorite Paige."_

_This time it's Emily's turn to blush when Paige turns and grins at her, quirking her eyebrow. She takes the mugs from her mom, giving her a teasing glare. "Thanks mom. We'll be okay on our own now." She widens her eyes, urging her mom to get the hint._

_Pam almost rolls her eyes at her daughters not so subtle hint, "Well I'll leave you two to it. Your dad should be back from the hardware store in a bit to help with the roof decorations." Aka please don't spend all your time making out with Paige, you need to actually get work done before your dad gets back._

_"Alright mom" Emily chuckles as she hands Paige the hot mug, their finger brush, and Paige's touch burns her skin hotter than the scolding liquid contained in the mug. They blush, turning away from Pam's quizzical gaze, the older woman shaking her head as she walks away, muttering something about "teenage love" under her breath. Both girls burst into nervous giggles as they sip their hot chocolate carefully._

_Paige blows on the hot liquid, glancing around at the packed boxes. "You guys sure have a lot of Christmas stuff."_

_"It's my favorite holiday. It's the only one that my dad comes home for." Emily explains. "All the decorations have accumulated over the years I guess."_

_"What about Thanksgiving?" Paige questions._

_"We spent Thanksgiving with my mom's family. It's somewhat of a tradition now. If my dad gets to come home during Thanksgiving then he comes with us."_

_Paige watches carefully as Emily makes her way around the cardboard boxes, shifting through them with one hand as the other clutches the mug. "Ever since I was little my dad would take me with him to get the Christmas tree. We'd drive out of town, just the two of us and listen to Christmas songs." Emily's smiling now, her face alight as she recalls every Christmas she's spent with her dad. "When we'd get there I'd get to pick the tree and watch as he'd chop it down."_

_"Is that where you went yesterday?"_

_"Yeah. It felt good, spending time with just him. I try to spend time with my mom too of course, but I'm useless in the kitchen and well, she's not too fond of me burning her food." Paige laughs and Emily grins at her, they stand there for a couple seconds, just gazing at each other with goofy smiles on their faces._

_Paige is the first to look away, Pam's subtle warning prickling the back of her mind. They need to have some decorations up before Wayne gets back, and Paige doesn't want to disappoint. She picks up a Santa hat from one of the boxes and shakes it out, "I use to help my mom cook dinner for the holidays."_

_"Use to?"_

_Paige nods, taking a sip of her hot chocolate before answering. She sips slowly, letting the smooth chocolate linger before swallowing it, a slight tingling spreads through her chest and stomach as the warm liquid sends waves of comfort through her body. "Use to. As I got older they would go on more business trips during the holidays, and I would spend them with my relatives. My aunt doesn't let me anywhere near her food even though she knows I'm a good cook."_

_"Are your parents going to be here during Christmas this time?" Emily questions, a frown forming between her brows when Paige shakes her head. She wonders what it'd be like to slowly stop spending the holidays with her parents. A pang of sadness settles in her chest as she watches Paige dig through another box, oblivious to Emily's sudden change in mood. "Paige." She makes her way over to the distracted brunette; it's clear in the way Paige's shoulders tense that she's noticed Emily's concern. She continues rifling through the tangled Christmas lights, the Santa hat still held tightly in her hand._

_"Paige."_

_"Hmm?"_

_She still won't look up and Emily sighs. She places her mug on the ground and grabs Paige's shoulders lightly, pulling her away from the box. When Paige still won't make eye contact with her she places her fingers gently under Paige's chin, forcing her to meet her gaze._

_"Spend Christmas with me and my family." Emily says softly, her earnestly sweet gaze relaxing Paige. As badly as she wants to say yes, she knows she can't. It'd feel…intrusive, spending time with Emily when she should be spending as much time as she could with her dad._

_"Emily…I can't."_

_"Why not? Come on Paige. My mom adores you and I would love for you and my dad to get to know each other better."_

_"I would love to Em…but I don't want to take you away from your family."_

_"But you won't be. Please, I'm sure my mom would love to have someone help her with dinner. Someone who won't, you know, burn it." Emily smiles, her arms wrapping around Paige's waist and giving the hesitant girl a reassuring squeeze._

_"I don't know."_

_"Please?"_

_Emily gives her puppy eyes, and Paige knows she won't be able to keep saying no. She sighs, "Make sure your parents are okay with it first." She chuckles softly when Emily grins widely. She leans forward, catching Paige's lips in a smoldering kiss._

_"Get ready to call your parents about the change of plans, because I already know my mine are going to say yes." Emily teases, giving the amused brunette another quick kiss before beginning to make her way into her house._

_Paige shakes her head, a warmth tingling spreading through her body that has nothing to do with hot chocolate, and everything to do with the unbelievably sweet girl she gets to call hers._

* * *

_So this story is going to be pretty much the road trip + one shot **flashbacks** so if any of you have any prompts you'd like to throw my way feel free. If not then I'll just let my Paily mind come up with random stuff. Anyways let me know what you think :)_


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